Wanted to ask the experts about a rig thats not far from me that's coming up for sale. The Bike is a 1996 Moto Guzzi California with a Texas side car. The bike has 30k miles and has been well cared for with normal maintenance performed as called for. Heres the additional info:(Copied from email)
Texas sidecar (the ranger model), then the bike (California III 1100), then what he's had done to it that was beyond maintenance, but would be called actual improvements. The sidecar it self has a base of $4,000 plus the wings ($200) to reduce passenger buffeting and the color match paint ($450). The bike has under 30,000 miles and anything other than oil changes (those were at either the BMW dealer or the Honda dealer) has been done either by one of the Motto Guzzi dealers or Peter Bombar in Durham NC. Had the tranny rebuilt with heavy duty gears, bushing and springs ($2,500). Added the trunk ($250) and the fairing ($400) plus painted to match ($250). The stock saddle bags are intact, work well with keys (can be used with sidecar in place). The steering damper ($180) is made by Mercedes Benz and mounted on the right side so it is not readily visible. So he had invested over $8,000 NOT including what he paid for the bike. selling for $7500
Ive posted here wanting to buy a Rig to mount to my Dyna , I have 3 Harley's and would love to have a rig that myself , wife, and kids could enjoy. This Gentleman replied from another listing and showed me a picture of this setup and lt looks nice. Big question is it worth the asking price ? I've just started looking and don't want to jump on the first thing I see unless it is a deal. Thoughts would be appreciated .
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Moto Guzzi makes a fine tug for a hack. If everything is in as good condition as spoken of it cold be a fair price. If not it could be 5,000 or lower.
That could be a good deal. That is a solid model Guzzi and the sidecar is a good one. If it is in good condition I wouldn't be afraid of the price.
Thanks for the info so far. I was originally looking for a used sidecar to mount to one of bikes and sell one to off-set the cost. You can almost buy a complete rig by the time everything is bought to mount to your bike including the sidecar. Being a first timer to sidecar's would it be wise to consider a cheaper rig someone wants to part with to get my feet wet? I'm not trying to be cheap if it sounds like that, just trying to make a good choice.How did most of you guys get into your rigs?
The "over $8,000. invested" is expenses when new, not an investment.
It's used, looks nice, and may be a tad high, but if it is in primo condition and you like it, go for it.
Lonnie
As long as all promised facts are true and as long as the connection links between hack and tug are good quality you can´t do much wrong. The steering damper is a bit stiff but should do with that setup. I would take a softer one (not from a Merc but a damper for rigs of the same manufacturer "Stabilus" , But that has to be checked out by riding the rig and look how it behaves)
The price is good for a well maintained low mileage rig in good condition. It´s cheaper than to buy such a bike and build up a rig like that . The money the owner spent for "improvements" will not be payed back when he sells it. That´s normal. It just makes the rig more intresting for someone to buy it.
I would go and have a look and a testride. If you like it, well...
If not, stay back and return to your home. The money you spent for the journey is well invested anyway.
These Cali III 1100cc are good tugs and don´t struggle with a medium weight sidecar like the one attached. 30k mls are not critical for those bikes. They can do 60 or 80 k mls easy before the big repairs begin. Most of the things can be done without tearing everything apart.
That a good price for the entire rig. I have about that in my sportster rig.
It was mounted with our mounting hardware as Texas often would buy Moto Guzzi hardware from us, price point is good, if you want lighter steering we make triple tree's for this bike.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
www.dmcsidecars.com
I have a 2001 moto guzzi cal ev with a sputnik side car. I got the side car from Jay and have his mounts. And disk brake set up. On sidecar I would say that is a great rig. Guzzi make a great tug. I also pull a time out camper with it. Handles it great.
Lloyd
I think it looks good and if it is good as the picture I don't think the price is out of line. Of the four rigs I have built I probably put more than that in 3 of the four. Good luck!
